1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scheduling systems and methods and, more specifically, to automated schedule and calendar systems and methods with network-based notification of specific time-slot openings or availability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is generally known in the prior art to provide social networking systems that provide a match based on compatibility of user interests. Social networking systems based on user-generated lists of interests and goals where the contents of the list are prioritized or ranked are also known.
By way of example: U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,161; US Pub. Nos. 2006/0247940 & 2009/0024548 for Compatibility scoring of users in social networking, assigned to Friendster, Inc., describes a method of quantifying compatibility of interests or similarity in interests between members of a social network and providing a match based on the compatible interests. A set of individuals who are within a predetermined degree of separation from a first individual are taken and a compatibility score is computed between the first individual and each of the individuals in the set. Compatibility of the individuals is scored based on compatibility of interests, and these compatibility results and compatibility scores are presented to the individuals. Compatibility scores are linked to interest profiles, encouraging people to enter interests so the site can find other people who share the same or compatible interests.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,502,748 for Job matching system and method, assigned to Careerious Inc., describes a job matching system and method that utilizes personality profiles and candidate interests to match candidates to jobs. Employment position data is received from potential employers and individual candidate data is received from job candidates. The candidate data is compared with the employment position data to create a list of employment positions that match the candidate data. A score indicative of a candidates' suitability for a given employment opportunity is calculated from the comparison of the employment position data and individual candidate data
U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,160 for Choice-based relationship system (CRS), assigned to Grove, describes a system to connect event participants with other event participants having similar interests. The event may be a business conference, a cruise, a social gathering, or a virtual event. Profiles are created for the participants indicating preferences and characteristics of the participants. In response to an inquiry from a participant, profiles are compared and matches to other participants with similar interests are generated. This system allows the participants to connect with each other before, during, and after the event.
US Pub. No. 2008/0288494 for System enabling social networking through user-generated lists, describes a social networking method using user generated lists. A list database is generated based on the lists created or populated by users of the system. The list database may also include previously built lists or lists of publications, organizations, or groups. The method includes receiving a first list of items from a first user, receiving a second list of items from a second user. The determination of position of items in a third list includes performing a mathematical computation involving the first value corresponding to a first position of the first item in the first list and the second value corresponding to a second position of the first item in the second list. The third list is then displayed on the computer screen with items in that order. Users can generate a list (e.g., favorite movies) and share the list with others who can then rank the list according to their own preferences. Users can also search or browse lists created by others.
US Pub. No. 2009/0187829 for aggregation and visualization of reused shared lists, describes a shared list social networking system and provides for aggregating and visualizing reused shared lists. An example of a shared list is a rank-ordered list of likes or dislikes. Describes that users can select an existing shared list on a topic, view rank-ordered results, create a new shared list on the topic incorporating users individual rank-ordering of the shared list, and save the new shared list in association with the existing shared list. An aggregation view displays items for each rank or lists items in rank order based on the rankings of multiple users.
US Pub. No. 2008/0162431 for identifying interest twins in an online community, describes a method for identifying members in an online community with similar interests to other members of the online community, and determining if the users are “interest twins”. “Interest twins” are members that have demonstrated interest in the same or similar items. Member interests are identified by “interest-actions” such as following a link to a web page, bookmarking a web page, tagging items, playing or downloading videos, etc. Information on “interest twins” is used to enhance the experience of the user, such as ranking or highlighting search results from a search engine based on the interests of a user's “interest twin”. This invention does not appear to describe introductions or personal connections with “interest twins”.
US Pub. No. 2009/0327270 for Using variation in user interest to enhance the search experience describes a method to enhance the search experience by making the results list responsive to the interests of different individuals and groups of users. The system includes a search interface that determines the variability of search interests (e.g., goals) given queries, and a search experience enhancer. The search interface accepts a query from a user as input, and determines a variability in user interest (e.g. in search goals) for the query.
Furthermore, it is generally known to provide calendar, schedule, or time-based systems and methods using computer software and network or cloud-based access, or shared calendaring. The present invention relates to calendar, schedule, and/or time-based systems and methods using computer software for providing network or cloud-based notification for time slot openings or calendar/schedule availability including providing notification system based upon predetermined social network connections to individuals, companies, and service providers of interest to a participant or user. Users of the system can opt-in to the notification system based upon a click-select activation or hyperlink from an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) on a website accessed through a network, such as the internet.
US Publication No. 20080098313 for System and method for developing and managing group social networks describes a system and method for facilitating the configuration and management of events within a social networking system, wherein members of similar or different geographic locations and/or interests, hobbies, social status, relationship status can interact with the system to view activities, register or participate in those activities and schedule activities; further describes a personal workspace that enables the members of the network to view the personal calendar and the scheduled events and activities, and registration.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,246 for System and method for matching entities utilizing on electronic calendar system, assigned to IBM, describes an integrated matching service and calendaring system. In addition to the typical items represented by a calendared event, it utilizes a calendar event to represent an activity, the requirements to match the activity, the entity attributes, and any match results; an entity defines criteria and information for a matching activity, and the information and criteria concerning the activity are represented as a calendar event in an electronic calendaring system; calendar events representing matching activities and criteria are communicated to a matching server via a calendar access protocol, the matching server notifies suitable matches, if any, and notifies the entities involved of the match.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,303 for System and method for integrating personal information management and messaging applications, describes a computer-implemented method that identifies a set of contacts and/or contact groups permitted to contact a user of a data processing device during a scheduled event in an electronic calendar; a communication event is received from a first contact over a communication channel and is compared against the identified set of contacts and/or contact groups permitted to contact the user. Further, the user of the communication event is notified during the scheduled event only if the first contact is in the set of contacts and/or contact groups.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20020191035 for Computerized customizable scheduler, which describes a customizable software method for creating and maintaining a scheduling calendar for people and resources in a professional, personal, or service environment, including maintaining and updating a database to augment the scheduling calendar, with extensive reporting functions for planning, management, and marketing functions of an individual or business.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,303; US Pub. No. 20020032588 for Customer driven sponsor controlled network based graphical scheduling system and method, describing a method for developing a schedule for a sponsoring organization and includes providing a sponsor controlled customer database containing information relevant to individual customers who periodically need to schedule appointments with the sponsoring organization, a set of sponsor parameters associated with each customer, which define possible appointment times for a customer, and a central controller for displaying and managing a schedule for the sponsoring organization; the system contacts some of the customers concerning scheduling appointments with the available appointment times determined by the sponsor parameters associated with the individual customer via the electronic network, and the system receiving scheduling information via the electronic network from at least some of the customers; may also include a graphical calendar to at least some customers, wherein the customer can schedule an appointment by selecting the icon associated with the desired appointment time; the controller may use email to contact customers, and use the Web to supply available appointment times and receive scheduling information from the customers; offline communication may also be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,406 for Scheduling system for use between users on the web, describes a system comprising an end user interface that is generated in standard page markup syntax and sent using standard communication protocols to allow users to communicate with the system, delivering the scheduling events to end users of the system, and means for confirming proposed events by the end users; the computer systems include a client interface that allows an initial end user to communicate a desire to schedule an event through the system to potential end users, a transport medium interface for allowing the system to transport proposed event schedules between potential end users of the system and a computer subsystem for generating for the initial end user of the system, a calendar that is adapted to contain the events for that initial client, modifiable when other end users of the system, or that first user messages about events into the calendar of the initial user.